dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Dan Jacobson]

I bet dired can't do this basic want:
I am sitting on top of
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives
[which indeed is still a symbolic link, whereas i would execute the
command again, if i liked, to see the file listing with yet another
level of inderction stripped.

Notice that I don't want to see the file contents, else I would hit
RET in the first place.

Notice that I don't want to strip all the symlinks at once, but rather
one by one, so I can learn just what's going on with my multi layered
symlinks, unless i suppose, i give an C-u prefix or something.

Anyways, I want this new feature on my desk by Monday.
-- 
http://jidanni.org/ Taiwan(04)25854780

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Kevin Rodgers]

Dan Jacobson wrote:

> I bet dired can't do this basic want:
> I am sitting on top of
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
> and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
> listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives
> [which indeed is still a symbolic link, whereas i would execute the
> command again, if i liked, to see the file listing with yet another
> level of inderction stripped.
> 
> Notice that I don't want to see the file contents, else I would hit
> RET in the first place.


Does `C-u s L RET' do what you want?


> Notice that I don't want to strip all the symlinks at once, but rather
> one by one, so I can learn just what's going on with my multi layered
> symlinks, unless i suppose, i give an C-u prefix or something.


A symbolic link does not have "layers".

-- 
Kevin Rodgers <kevinr@ihs.com>

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Dan Jacobson]

>>>>> "K" == Kevin Rodgers <kevinr@ihs.com> writes:

K> Dan Jacobson wrote:
>> I bet dired can't do this basic want:
>> I am sitting on top of
>> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
>> and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
>> listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives
>> [which indeed is still a symbolic link, whereas i would execute the
>> command again, if i liked, to see the file listing with yet another
>> level of inderction stripped.
>> Notice that I don't want to see the file contents, else I would hit
>> RET in the first place.

K> Does `C-u s L RET' do what you want?

>> Notice that I don't want to strip all the symlinks at once, but rather
>> one by one, so I can learn just what's going on with my multi layered
>> symlinks, unless i suppose, i give an C-u prefix or something.


K> A symbolic link does not have "layers".

ok.  a points to b, b points to c.  your solution zooms one to c,
while I wanted to go in steps.
-- 
http://jidanni.org/ Taiwan(04)25854780

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Francesco Potorti`]

jidanni@dman.ddts.net (Dan Jacobson) writes:

   Notice that I don't want to strip all the symlinks at once, but rather
   one by one, so I can learn just what's going on with my multi layered
   symlinks, unless i suppose, i give an C-u prefix or something.

That would be a really nifty feature (me too, I've wanted that for some
time). 

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Richard Stallman]

    I am sitting on top of
    lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
    and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
    listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives

This seems like a useful feature.  One complication is, how should
this command decide what part of that directory to list?  Should it
always list the whole directory?  Just that one file?  Either one is
easy enough to do.

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Dan Jacobson]

notRMS>     I am sitting on top of
notRMS>     lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
notRMS>     and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
notRMS>     listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives

RMS> This seems like a useful feature.  One complication is, how should
RMS> this command decide what part of that directory to list?  Should it
RMS> always list the whole directory?  Just that one file?  Either one is
RMS> easy enough to do.

I don't know.  Maybe do like Burger King and have it their way,
i.e. C-u gives the other way.  Anyway, you engineers work it out.  All
I know is I wasn't psychologically prepared for full penetration at
the time.
-- 
http://jidanni.org/ Taiwan(04)25854780

Re: dired needs symlink inderction gradual stripper

[Francesco Potorti`]

       I am sitting on top of
       lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 5 28 21:39 words -> /etc/alternatives/dictionary
       and I would like, with just a keystroke, arrive at a revised dired
       listing, i.e. that file now from the standpoint of /etc/alternatives
   
   This seems like a useful feature.  One complication is, how should
   this command decide what part of that directory to list?

The most generally useful thing would be to list the whole directory,
and leave the point on the relevant file in that directory, centered in
the window.

A drawback would be that some directories are huge to list, but I don't
think that's a real problem.